From 22 June to 3 July 2026, Madara Seile took part in the Accelerator4Crafts Residency Programme hosted by Semne Cusute in Bucharest, Romania.
During the residency, she explored traditional needlework and garment construction through hands-on learning, filming and visits to museum collections. The exchange brought Romanian and Latvian craft traditions into conversation.
Exploring Romanian traditional shirts
Madara chose the residency because she had never seen Romanian traditional shirts in person. The more she researched them, the more fascinated she became by their unique shapes, colours, materials and graphic elements.
The residency offered an opportunity to explore this heritage firsthand and learn alongside Ioana and Gabriela. Madara highly recommends learning from them and discovering the work of Semne Cusute, describing its scale and quality as remarkable and highlighting how much others can learn from their approach.
Hands-on learning and garment reconstruction
Working with Gabriela and Ioana, Madara gained practical embroidery skills and learned and documented needle-lace techniques.
She then used diagrams and historical photographs to reconstruct a Latvian shirt pattern as a small-scale mock-up. This process connected her exploration of Romanian needlework and garment construction with textile traditions from Latvia.
Documenting craft knowledge and practice
Throughout the residency, Madara captured extensive video footage documenting the history of shirt-making, embroidery techniques, the daily creative process and exhibition openings.
One of her next steps is to complete the editing of a short film about the residency, drawing on the material recorded during her time in Bucharest.
Outcomes and future directions
Alongside the practical skills and documentation developed during the residency, the experience inspired Madara to pursue further opportunities for shared craft practice.
She plans to establish a women’s craft and embroidery circle and embroider her own traditional shirt featuring selected Romanian motifs. Her aim is to complete the shirt by the next summer solstice so that she can wear it together with her handwoven skirt.
Madara also hopes to begin working on bringing Semne Cusute shirts to Latvia for an exhibition, extending the exchange beyond the residency and sharing Romanian textile craftsmanship with audiences at home.
Credits
Resident: Madara Seile
Residency Host: Semne Cusute, Romania
Residency dates: 22 June–3 July 2026
Images: courtesy of Semne Cusute